Ukrainian commander says Russian forces adapt tactics to exhaust Ukrainian air defenses
In June, Ukraine successfully intercepted 94% of enemy drones and 64% of incoming missiles. Despite the high interception rate, the missiles that hit their targets caused significant damage
Russian troops are constantly changing their strike tactics to maximize the exhaustion of Ukraine’s air defense system, Colonel Serhii Yaremenko, the commander of the 96th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, told Ukrinform.
In June, Ukraine intercepted 94% of Russian drones and 64% of missiles. According to UA War Infographics, the number of strikes from Ukrainian and Russian forces decreased. However, the channel reports that the missiles that reached their targets caused significant destruction.
“The enemy learns just like we do. They also consider their mistakes after their air attack assets are effectively destroyed. They try to bypass the anti-aircraft missile defense systems as much as possible to reach their target and deplete the air defense system,” said Serhii Yaremenko.
According to him, the enemy also uses the level of terrain and has started employing countermeasures against Ukraine’s air defenses.
“If earlier, one missile in a group created interference, now they all use active jamming,” added the brigade’s commander.
Furthermore, he noted, the enemy combines their strikes. They use a combination of cruise missiles with Shaheds, synchronize attacks in time, employ ballistic weapons, and create a high density of strikes from different directions simultaneously.
“Therefore, we also have the concept of ‘fire density’ that we can create. When the enemy exceeds our capabilities, theoretically, a missile might not be intercepted. Thus, each strike becomes more challenging to repel. Our most important task is to predict possible enemy actions and correctly establish a defense mechanism to avoid the mistakes the enemy has taken into account,” explained Yaremenko.
On 5 July, German Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jäger announced on social media that his country had already delivered its third Patriot air defense system to Ukraine.
Germany bolsters Ukraine’s air defense against Russian missiles with third Patriot system
Patriot systems are crucial for Ukraine’s defense against Russian cruise and ballistic missiles, as Russia continues shelling civilians and energy infrastructure in different oblasts.
Related:
- Scholz says Germany will transfer third Patriot system, additional IRIS-Ts and Gepards to Ukraine
- Zelenskyy urged the world to help Kharkiv: two Patriot systems will fundamentally change the situation
- Zelenskyy: Ukraine needs 25 Patriot systems for full air defense protection
- Blinken: New air defense systems for Ukraine to be announced before NATO summit
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